


The Never-ending Loyalty of Dogs

by Cinaed



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Community: fma_fic_contest, Dogs, Gen, Humor, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-10-18
Updated: 2010-10-18
Packaged: 2017-10-12 18:31:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/127807
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cinaed/pseuds/Cinaed
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>All jokes of eating them aside, Jean is actually ambivalent towards dogs.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Never-ending Loyalty of Dogs

**Author's Note:**

> Spoilers for the entire series! Written for fma_fic_contest, for the prompt 'leash.'

All jokes of eating them aside, Jean is actually ambivalent towards dogs. He likes them well enough, but not enough to endure the hassle of owning one. Dogs are nice, but they need too much attention, that's all. 

Still, after months of rehabilitation, in which he's spent hours staring at the same unappealing stretch of hospital track as he shuffled along it, Lieutenant Hawkeye's suggestion to take Black Hayate for short walks seems like a great idea.

For one thing, it means Jean will actually be able to go outside. For another thing-- no, that's pretty much the only reason that matters. Jean wants the sun on his face and proper stones beneath his feet. 

What he hasn't reckoned with, however, is that Hayate is uncannily smart. (He supposes he shouldn't be surprised-- any dog of the lieutenant's is going to be special-- but somehow he is.)

It starts like this:

"We're going to take it nice and slow, okay?" he says to the dog, who tilts his head and stares back. Jean's still using a cane, more often on bad days, less so on better ones where each step  _doesn't_  make the muscles in his legs knot up. He leans on the cane now as he studies Hayate's expression. 

It's an odd look, like Hayate actually understands human speech and is agreeing with him. Should dogs' faces be expressive like that? Jean had thought dogs only understood a handful of human words, like "no" or "food" or "heel." 

It only gets weirder as Hayate proceeds to go at a slow, meandering pace. He even seems to have a sixth sense about when Jean needs to rest, stopping to sniff at a crack or a doorway just as Jean grips his cane tightly and starts to take a few deep breaths. 

"Did the lieutenant tell you to do this?" he asks.

Hayate's eyes are filled with wounded innocence, and Jean feels himself twitch at the look. Hawkeye's probably sworn Hayate to secrecy anyway. "Never mind," he says, and lets Hayate lead them over to an apparently fascinating mailbox. 

He's about to call it quits when a woman's squeal fills the air. The next thing Jean knows, he's surrounded by women, all beaming at him like he's someone amazing. (Which he is, of course, only somehow-- women--  _people_  seem to miss that half the time.) 

"Is this your dog?" one of them asks, dimples appearing on her cheeks as she smiles. She cooes at Hayate before he can answer. "Aren't you the cutest, sweetest little thing? I  _love_  dogs."

Jean looks at the four women staring at him and Hayate like they're the next best thing to chocolate, and makes a decision. 

Afterwards, once they've gotten back to the hospital and Jean has handed over the leash to the lieutenant, he tucks the number of the dimpled girl into his pocket and says to the dog, "Okay, you can stay."

Hayate's tongue lolls out of his mouth. It's suspiciously like a smile.

**Author's Note:**

> 


End file.
